The issues of employment and work for refugees have received increasing attention from both the political, NGO and economic spheres in France since 2017, but few studies have yet to address this subject. This study was born out of cooperation between the Observatory on Immigration and Asylum...

Migration and Citizenship

International migrations have become the focus of current public debates and policies in various regions of the world, including Europe.
With the creation of the Migration Program in 2005 and then the Center for Migration and Citizenship in 2011, the French institute of international relations - Ifri was the first research institute to analyze migration and new practices of citizenship as a matter of international relations. In order to respond to a complex and polarizing issue, the Center for Migration and Citizenship aims at better shaping the debate and research with an independent and non-polemical approach. The Center’s work is directed to all kind of stakeholders active in the field of migration at the local, national, European and international levels: decision and law makers, authorities, not-for-profit organizations and the private sector.
The Center for Migration and Citizenship offers a unique perspective on migration and citizenship issues in France through:
- Activities at the crossroad of academic research, support to decision making and capacity building of actors in the field;
- An analysis of the gaps and tensions between public policies and needs in the field;
- A multidisciplinary research blending sociological, political and legal approaches;
- An original methodology that involves, in a proactive and dynamic way, the main stakeholders and social actors concerned by the topic: public institutions, policymakers, NGOs, private companies, migrants, and the inhabitants of the less favored neighborhoods throughout Europe. These groups constitute at the same time the target and the contributors to the center’s projects.



Since 2015, South American countries have been dealing with the greatest forced displacement in their history. More than 5.6 million Venezuelans have left their country under great hardships, fleeing deteriorating living conditions, famine, and lack of access to medical treatment and...
The 2015 “crisis” accelerated and/or intensified the involvement of foundations (in particular those from the private sector) in the field of migration. The crisis not only created a sense of urgency, but also generated a movement of public empathy that foundations were willing to accompany...
EU policy on migration and asylum is being built for the last 20 years. But this process is today on hold although France and Germany support the same position on this matter. However, the “migration crisis” in 2015 highlighted the weakness of the Franco-German alliance and the extend to which...
While migration from Africa is the priority of European policies for the control of the European Union’s external borders, African migration dynamics are above all regional. Sub-Saharan migration is poorly connected to transcontinental flows: more than 70% remain in Africa.
On December 9, 2020 will be celebrated the 115th anniversary of the 1905 law on French secularism (laïcité). On the very same day, a new law project will be presented by the French government, with the objective of further strengthening the “republican values” in order...
In France, people participating in policies and programs that affect them is not a new concept. It has been widely studied in the field of social work and the fight against poverty, and is at the heart of many experiments. How can this concept of participation, as is outlined for people...
More than 70 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2018. In that context, more safe and legal pathways to countries of asylum is a crucial challenge for the international protection regime. A toolkit is available to States and UNHCR, more particularly refugee resettlement.
Donald Trump’s election to the White House appeared to be the beginning of a profound change in the United States’ immigration policy. He reneged on bipartisan consensus that recognized the “positive contribution” of immigration to the country. This resulted in an increase in policies that...
The European Union did respond to the massive influx of migrants in 2015, but with short-term measures, which have widened the divisions between member states.
Citizen Mobilization: A Solution for Refugee Integration in Europe?
While Europe is facing the largest displacement phenomenon since World War II, we are experiencing an unprecedented wave of solidarity for refugees from Ukraine in all parts of the continent. The mobilization of Europeans for refugees and migrants has been rising since 2015. It is both a...
Anti-immigrant Politics and Nativism in Europe and in the US
On line registrations to this conference are now closed but you can still register by mail to tardis@ifri.org
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Immigration in the EU and the US: Comparing Border Policies
The online registrations for this conference are now closed but you can still register by mail to Matthieu Tardis tardis@ifri.org
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Division or Reconciliation: The Changing Political Agenda and Role of Think Tanks in the Next Decade? Council of Councils Twelfth Regional Conference
The 12th regional conference of Council of Councils (CoC) will take place at Ifri from November 17 to 19, 2019. An initiative of the Council on Foreign Relations, the CoC strives to define major foreign policy challenges by...
4x4 Directors Forum 2019 African-European Think Tank Dialogue
The 4x4 Directors Forum is an annual meeting gathering the directors of four European and four African Think Tanks to discuss current challenges that both continents are facing. The purpose is to identify common positions and asymmetries, and address possible areas of cooperation in order to...
Global Governance of Migration: A Challenge Beyond the North-South Paradigm GFMD Side Event
The global dialogue on migration is frequently stalled due to contradictory interests and positions between the countries of the North (Europe and North America) and the South.
From Local to National: Taking on the Challenge of the Reception of Immigrants and Citizenship
New waves of populism and identity politics have shaken Europe, in both the West and the East. They have made immigration, Islam and Muslims a source of tension and anxiety. These new discourses have not left the pact of citizenship unscathed. How could inclusive societies be established while...
South Sudan: the Greatest Displacement Crisis in Africa
Conference-debate with Arnauld Akodjenou, Regional Coordinator and Special Advisor for the South Sudan Situation for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Protection of Refugees and Displaced Persons in Libya: A Challenge for the UNHCR
Conference-debate with Roberto Mignone, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Libya.
Reflecting on France's Immigration, Asylum and Citizenship Policies Panel Discussion
In 2017, IFRI created a working group composed of a dozen prominent figures from different backgrounds: voluntary sector of asylum and immigration, research, trade union, media, social work, emergency housing, human rights sector, Muslim chaplaincy in prison, feminist associations, city...
A weeks-long ordeal for asylum seekers who had been stranded at sea concluded on Friday, as the French government granted safe harbor for the Ocean Viking rescue ship in the southern city of Toulon.
As a ship carrying more than 200 migrants rescued at sea docked in a French port on Friday, a diplomatic crisis between France and Italy worsened, signaling further chaos in the European Union's already erratic handling of asylum seekers coming to Europe.
After several days of diplomatic wrangling with Italy, France decided to 'exceptionally' allow the humanitarian ship Ocean Viking to dock. While maritime law requires the rescue of migrants in danger, it does not state which country should welcome them.
Around 42% of refugees settled in France manage to find a job within a year of obtaining official status. But the jobs they find are often far below their skill levels, resulting in a "professional downgrade" that leads to discontent and exhaustion.
Migrants who head to the United Kingdom often see it less as a panacea than a last-ditch means-to-an-end, according to Matthieu Tardis, an expert in migration policy at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).
Since taking in more than a million people fleeing war and poverty in 2015, Europe has stepped up border controls but still falls short on common migration and asylum policies.
Both in the US and in Europe, border control has become one central component of immigration and asylum policies with seemingly the same objective: preventing irregular entries of migrants and refugees. This trend has accelerated in recent years, with ever stricter border controls, more...
Smaller municipalities and rural areas can be places where refugees are welcomed and where they can integrate more easily. People living in rural areas are very proud of their towns and often make an effort to mobilize and include newcomers in their communities.
Matthieu Tardis, Research Fellow at the Centre for Migration and Citizenship at the French Institute for International Relations (Ifri), describes how small towns and rural areas are welcoming refugees and enabling them to settle.
An interview with Jeffrey LABOVITZ, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Nairobi Regional Director